Shuffle Mode
by dwennie
Summary: 10 short drabbles prompted by 10 random songs. General spoilers, and various characters make appearances. More details inside.


**So I saw this idea somewhere else, I think the Chuck fandom. You put your iPod on shuffle, and write drabbles inspired by those songs until they're over, then you're done. Basically, speed writing and you have 10 prompts. So I tried it myself. It's really hard, but quite fun. I have various pairings, characters and timelines. Hopefully you like them, but due to the forced nature of some of the drabbles, they might be a little lame. Either way, I'd like to know what you think, so leave me a review please. It's all we get for putting oursleves out there :)  
**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**  


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_Choking on the Concrete – Greg Holden_

"_And I am falling, faster to the ground  
Punched at every corner with my arms securely bound."_

Don collapsed onto the concrete of the alley once again. It struck him as ironic. After everything he had gone through with the FBI, all the stupid things he had done, it was now in an alley that he might meet his end.

Maybe if he had gotten a jump on his assailants, maybe if he had his gun... but there was no time for those now. He felt a foot connect with the side of his head, and his vision started to fade once more.

As he heard the sirens approach, he let out one more breath as he sank into the welcoming blackness, relieved that help was coming. He would be alright soon.

_Accidentally in Love – Shrek 2 Soundtrack_

"_What's the problem I don't know  
Well maybe I'm in love."_

Megan knows just how odd her and Larry appear as a couple. But, it's not like the usual love story. The nerd doesn't fall for the girl, the girl falls for him.

Not that she thinks he's a nerd. No, he's more than that. Sure he's smart, but he's empathetic, caring, and maybe she's the only one who sees just how beautiful he is.

So when Granger laughs at her, when Don raises his eyebrows, when David smirks, she's never rattled. She just brushes past them with dignity and hopes that someday they find someone as special as Larry Fleinhardt.

_Your Guardian Angel – Red Jumpsuit Apparatus_

"_I will never let you fall  
I'll stand up for you forever."_

Don would do anything for his team. To him, they're more than coworkers. They're his friends, his second family, and he'll go to any means to protect them. The Crystal Hoyle case is solid proof.

He knows that they look up to him. He doesn't need to be a profiler to see it. He's done his best to earn their respect, and he finally has it. They'll answer his calls at all obscene hours of the morning, and even though it's their job he's thankful every time.

So whenever he gets a call saying one of them is in trouble, he drops everything and goes to any length to get them back safely. Because he owes them that.

_White and Nerdy – Weird Al_

"_But so far they all think  
I'm too white n' nerdy."_

"Hey Charlie. Looking... good."

"Hey yourself, and you sound sarcastic."

"Well, you look a little orange."

"I was told I look a little pale—"

"It's November."

"—so I got some tanning lotion."

"I don't know whether to laugh or cry."

"Amita, did I overdo it a little?"

"I liked you better before, pale skin and all."

"You mean white _and_ nerdy?"

"Always."

_She Will Be Loved – Maroon 5_

"_Look for the girl with the broken smile  
Ask her if she wants to stay awhile."_

With Larry at the Monastery and Megan more than a little stressed, Don knew he had to do something. Everyone was human sometimes, and everyone had their moments.

He knocked quietly, unsure if she was still up. She answered almost immediately, dressed in pyjamas, but it was clear she hadn't slept a wink.

"Hey Don, what is it?"

He jumped right in without hesitation. "I figured you could use some company. You haven't been yourself since you got back from the DOJ."

A twisted smile crossed her face. "Yeah, I could use a little company. I just need to clear my head, you know?"

He nodded, understanding completely. "Yeah. Why do you think I spend so much time at Charlie's?"

That got her to laugh, and she let him in carefully. "Thanks," she said honestly.

"I take care of my own," he grinned.

_Leave Out All The Rest – Linkin Park_

"_When my time comes  
Forget the wrong that I've done."_

Ever since therapy, Don knew why he was so unable to trust his team. He wasn't afraid of them screwing up, he was afraid he couldn't make a difference.

Despite his father and brother's reassurances, he was still worried that one day when he retired, nothing he had done in his career would be worth mentioning. No one would remember what he did, what Charlie had helped him do.

He was worried that after all the sacrifices he had made, all the hell he went through for the bureau, he just wouldn't be good enough to remember. And then it would have all been for naught.

So he pushed himself. He stayed at work late, he had almost no social life, he shut himself off emotionally. Just in case it was enough to leave a mark.

_Pinch Me – Barenaked Ladies_

"_It's like a dream you try to remember  
But it's gone."_

Working as a triple agent had gotten so confusing that it had seemed like Colby was sleep walking through most of it. There were those moments when he almost felt like a real FBI agent, but then it was as though he awoke from a dream and remembered that he had 3 jobs to do at once.

Thee freighter was a nightmare. The only good that came of it was the truth. He didn't have to cover his tracks anymore, he could be a real teammate, a real friend. But the only relationship he really needed now seemed irreparable.

David wasn't speaking to him. He would listen when he had something case related, but otherwise he always found something else to do. Colby was sure that if he could get David's trust back, he would be able to deal with whatever else he had to put back together in his life.

_Make Me Believe – Tupelo Honey_

"_Make me believe  
Lie if you have to."_

Megan had been the only one to welcome him back with open arms. Megan had never really believed the accusations from the fated Janus List. Megan had helped him repair his friendship with David.

So when a case was getting to her, Colby helped. It didn't have to be anything out of the ordinary, just a pat on the shoulder and a "It's going to be okay" was often enough. He could guess what the DOJ had put her through, and it was enough to push anyone over the edge.

All he wanted to do was to help her through the tough times, like she had done for him. He just needed her to believe that the despair will pass. Because he knows how strange it sounds, but he also knows it's true.

_The World Won't Wait – The Dunes_

"_But you're not ready for it  
Ready for it, not yet."_

When something terrible happens, you feel like the world should stop moving for a while, maybe forever. But as much as you hope, you have to realize that life has to go on, and you still have things to do. As much as you want to curl up and wait for the world to understand, you have to go on.

At least, that was how Charlie managed to get out of bed after the death of his mother. He had always been secretly jealous of how Don and his father had seemed to handle the situation well. Not effortlessly, that was essentially impossible, but well. It didn't seem fair.

The last months of her life, he had spent next to no time with her. If he could change one thing in his life, one thing he himself could control, he would have cared for her during the last months of her life. His father didn't understand, Don didn't understand, but he knew his mother did.

Somehow, that made things worse. He wished she could have talked to him, to somehow convince him to leave the garage. But that was in the past, and living in the past wouldn't do anything. So Charlie simply had to live with his regrets, and prepared himself not to make the same mistakes if there was a next time.

'_Til Kingdom Come – Coldplay_

"_For you I'd wait 'til kingdom come  
Until my days, my days are done."_

Colby Granger would be damned if this was happening to him. He had never been a romantic guy, and he had never fallen for a girl at work before. But that was the effect Megan had on him.

So when she was with Larry, he waited. He wouldn't take another man's girl. But after her assignment at the DOJ, he couldn't hold on any longer. Larry was at the Monastery, he wasn't there for Megan when she needed him the most.

So after a tough case he knocks on her apartment door, and when she opens it he offers no reasons, no explanations. He just presses his lips against hers, backing her into her apartment and against the closest wall. And when the shock leaves her and she kisses him back, he can't manage to feel guilty. They'll burn that bridge later. Right now all that matters is her.  


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**Thanks for reading. Until next time!**


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